How To Design A Sign: Secrets To Kerning

Kerning may be a rather unfamiliar word to you now, but its application will help unify your new sign design.

Kerning is the process of adjusting the spacing between letters. The human eye is quick to notice breaks in regular patterns. When there is too much or too little space between characters within a word, the reader's eye stumbles, and the message is lost.

By adjusting the letter spacing, you can increase or decrease the space between characters to ensure the smooth flow of information from the text to the reader's brain. Proper kerning brings the individual characters of a word together into a single unit.

Even though design programs automatically address most of the kerning issues, there are many instances when a user must adjust kerning manually.

For instance, a typeface may have automatic kerning pairs for the characters "Yo," such that the lowercase letter “o” tucks under the arm of the uppercase “Y.”

Here are a few letter pair examples with known kerning issues.

With most fonts, uppercase characters are spaced so they fit best when lowercase letters follow them because that is how they are normally used. So words set in all uppercase letters may be poorly spaced between characters.

Large headline text may also require spacing adjustments in order to achieve visual consistency.

Just below is an example of Power Kerning. The letters are intentionally spaced out for effect.

And here are some examples of Over Kerning for effect. You can actually create your own distinctive, stylized logotype with this design trick.

Kerning can make or break a sign design. When in doubt, it’s best to stay on the safe side. Or, consult a graphic designer, and they can show you some unique design options.